GREEN TECHNOLOGY
Bacterial batteries recharge in soil
‘Bacteries’ harvest electricity from soil in a new form of sustainable power.
Bactery, a University of Bath spinout company, has developed bacteria-powered batteries – or ‘Bacteries’ – which harvest green energy from soil by taking advantage of natural processes that...
Starmer’s ‘low-hanging fruit’ solutions to improve energy efficiency in the built environment
Research reveals that eight in ten people who switched their vote from Conservative to Labour since 2019 think the outgoing government didn’t do enough on energy efficiency. With swift action expected from this one, Glynn Williams, UK Managing Director, Grundfos,...
Is seaweed the next-gen plastic?
In a potential boost for coastal economies, seaweed is being converted into biodegradable packaging.
Award-winning start-up PlantSea, based in Wales, has pioneered a seaweed-based flexible film that holds both liquids and dry products. The film is 100 per cent biodegradable...
Hero and villain: AI can limit its own eco damage
AI’s potential to enhance data centre sustainability has been overshadowed by its undeniable environmental impact, says Julien Deconinck, of DAI Magister.
Data centres are expected to account for 6% of the world’s carbon footprint by 2030.
It is undeniable that the data-intensive workloads...
Global food insecurity is sky-high – satellites can help
Bogdan Gogulan, CEO of space-tech private equity firm NewSpace Capital, explains the role that earth observation satellites can play in eliminating hunger.
Hunger numbers stubbornly high for three consecutive years as global crises deepen, was the alarming headline of a...
New handbag ‘skips the cow’
A concept ‘snakeskin’ handbag has been created out of brewers’ waste from London’s Beer Mile.
The unique bag is made from New Grain™, a leather-like material devised by Arda Biomaterials from spent grain, a byproduct of beer brewing and whisky...
Kebony: carving out the future for sustainable timber
Kebony is regarded as a market leader in the production of tropical hardwood alternatives. Marc Schneider PhD, inventor of its innovative dual modification™ technology, reflects on where it all began.
Although Kebony was founded in 1997, the scientific origins of...
Tackling global plastic waste…with chewing gum and old fridge parts
A Heriot-Watt University academic explores new materials for sustainable mass production of LFTs.
Discarded chewing gum, collected from UK streets, has been used to produce prototype lateral flow tests (LFTs) with the aim of cutting medical waste across the world.
Working...
New Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures
A major new Centre for Doctoral Training in Green Industrial Futures (CDT-GIF) has launched to drive the UK’s green industrial revolution forward.
The Centre builds on the pioneering work of the £20 million UK Research & Innovation (UKRI) Industrial Decarbonisation Research...
Training the next generation of mathematical climate scientists
Mathematics is at the core of many breakthroughs in climate science, including understanding the impacts of events such as flooding on society.
The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) has been announced as a major partner in a new £16 million centre...
Homes heated by human poo could soon be a reality
A project to transform sewage sludge into clean water and energy has been awarded a share of £4.5 million by Ofwat.
The project involves extracting energy from the waste produced during sewage and water treatment and transforming it into hydrogen...
How Green Tech Can Help Save Corals: Lessons from the Red Sea
By John Pagano, CEO, Red Sea Global,
A century of exploitation has severely harmed our planet’s biodiversity, particularly in our oceans, where pollution, overfishing, and more recently climate change, are pushing nature to the brink.
Coral reefs are especially vulnerable. Rising ocean...
Putting Sustainability into Your Digital Transformation
Sustainability is one of the largest considerations for businesses worldwide with 96% of G250 companies reporting on sustainability or ESG matters. And sustainability cannot, and should not, be forgotten in your IT advancements and digital transformation, says Chris Weston,...
Made in the UK: fact or fiction?
In light of the recent Boohoo mislabelling controversy, Josh Simpson, co-founder of sustainability rating app Impact Score, asks: can consumers be sure of anything anymore?
Making properly informed, sustainable purchasing choices can be a challenge for consumers, especiallywhen they are...
Can one maritime AI project really cut 1% of all global emissions?
NAVTOR’s Bjørn Åge Hjøllo explains how the Green AI for Sustainable Shipping (GASS) initiative looks set to help shipowners and operators slash fuel consumption, emissions and OPEX, ushering in a smarter, greener, more connected maritime future.
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Greener tea brewed from waste
Waste tea clippings are generating greener energy for factories in Kenya.
Kenya produces £1 billion of tea a year, with up to a quarter of it destined for British tea bags.
But the industry is threatened by an unreliable and expensive...
Precious metals recycled from military devices
The Royal Mint and the Ministry of Defence (MOD) are collaborating on a sustainable solution to dispose of electronic defence equipment.
It’s estimated that around 7% of the world’s gold is contained within electronic waste1, making it one of the...
Investment bank predicts 2024’s most influential climate tech trends
Clean energy, hydrogen, carbon capture and alternative proteins will all attract significant investment over the next year, says Marion Jeng, Associate at DAI Magister.
2023 proved a challenging 12 months for the climate vertical, with private equity and grant funding...
Low carbon homes lay foundations for future builds
Two low carbon prototype homes have performed very strongly under extreme test conditions.
The houses were built last year in a unique Energy House 2.0 climate chamber at the University of Salford.
They are the result of a partnership between the...
AI and ESG: Where do they overlap?
Both concepts are integral to modern corporate governance – and they’re here to stay. David Duffy, CEO of the Corporate Governance Institute, explains how to prepare your business for this ‘brave new world’.
AI and ESG are two boardroom topics...
Budding growth for Wild Bioscience
Growth is afoot for Wild Bioscience, who specialise in developing high-yielding, climate-resilient crop varieties.
Wild Bioscience’s name was born out of a belief that genetic solutions tested by nature over millions of years can be used to solve pressing challenges...
Green marketing vs generative AI: An environmental dilemma
Apeksha Mishra, Chief Product Officer at Investis Digital (IDX), believes the ‘More is less’ principle should be applied to this rapidly growing technology.
The use of generative AI in business has transformed the way we work. Whether it’s helping draft...
Cybersecurity: the biggest hidden threat to sustainability
Cybersecurity is an emerging threat to business sustainability. It’s more important than ever to understand what it is, why it’s important and how to manage it. Companies shouldn’t treat it as a compliance cost or technical issue for the...
Global plastics crisis tackled by Prosperity Partnership
A Birmingham company has teamed up with the city’s university and other world-class experts to tackle the scourge of plastic waste.
Aquapak Polymers Ltd, which specialises in polymer-based material technologies, has embarked on a £1.7m project funded by the Engineering...
Erasing gum litter – one chew at a time
Chewing gum may be one of the world’s favourite habits, but it wreaks havoc on the environment. Dr Ashlee Jahnke, head of research and development at biodegradable biopolymer platform developer Teysha Technologies, is helping unwrap much greener solutions.
The history...
Tracking digital waste: what you need to know
Digital waste tracking is coming to the UK soon. Nathan Gray, of, Reconomy, outlines what types of waste will be tracked, how companies can comply, and wider business benefits.
With 200 million tonnes of waste produced each year by the...
AI and microbes: cooking up a biogas boost?
Researchers are using artificial intelligence to develop better microorganism-led processes that efficiently ‘eat’ products such as food waste, wastewater and animal manure.
The project, led by the University of Surrey, has been awarded a £1.4 million grant by UK Research...
Corporate Stewardship of the Seas: Amplifying Success Through Biodiversity Monitoring
The world’s oceans have reached their hottest ever recorded temperatures as they absorb the heat of climate change. Now that regulators have turned their attention to mitigating biodiversity loss, Pippa Howard, Chief Nature Strategist at NatureMetrics, explains how businesses...
Hydrogen fuel pioneer wins funding for carbon capture
A high-flier in the British clean energy industry has won nearly £4m in government funding to make its biomass and waste-to-hydrogen plants even greener through carbon capture
Compact Syngas Solutions (CSS), based in Deeside, Wales, previously won a first round...
Trailblazing Africa tackles the plastic scourge
African entrepreneurs have been recognised for their work to cut plastic pollution on land and at sea. The Afri-Plastics Challenge, run by UK innovation prize experts Challenge Works, handed out £4 million in prizes at a recent awards ceremony...
